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Yaoi
Yaoi (やおい) is a publishing genre which focuses on male/male relationships. }} The genre originated in Japan and encompasses manga, anime, novels and dōjinshi. Yaoi directed toward women, the subtype most well-known outside of Japan, is called '''BL' or Boy's Love. }} Despite the genre being called Boy's Love, the males may be of any age, the term for works focused on underage boys being shotacon. }} Yaoi has spread beyond Japan; yaoi material is available in the United States, as well as other Western and Eastern nations worldwide. Yaoi began in the doujinshi markets of Japan in the late 1970s, mostly as parody works; but male same-sex love had previously been presented in shonen-ai, june and tanbi works. BL authors and fans are careful to distinguish BL from “gay manga,” which is created by and for gay men. Some male mangaka have produced BL works. The main characters in yaoi usually conform to the stereotypes of the older: a masculine seme (dominant/top in relationship) who pursues the younger, feminine uke (bottom). Terminology Pronunciation In careful Japanese enunciation, all three vowels are pronounced separately, for a three-mora word, Ya-oh-ee. Usage Yaoi is an acronym created and popularised in the doujinshi market of the late seventies standing for " YAma nashi climax, Ochi nashi point and Imi nashi meaning" 「ヤマなし、オチなし、意味なし」. This phrase refers to how yaoi has more emphasis on the stylisation of the characters (see Seme and uke) and their emotions than a traditional plot structure.Wilson, Brent; Toku, Masami. "Boys' Love," Yaoi, and Art Education: Issues of Power and Pedagogy 2003Kinsella, Sharon Japanese Subculture in the 1990s: Otaku and the Amateur Manga Movement Journal of Japanese Studies, Vol. 24, No. 2 (Summer, 1998), pp. 289-316 As such, yaoi is not a common term in Japanese; it is specific to the otaku subculture. Although different meanings are often ascribed to yaoi and boy's love, (with yaoi generally said to be more explicit and BL generally said to being less so) there is conflicting information on their usage.Masaki, Lyle. (6 January, 2008) “Yowie!”: The Stateside appeal of boy-meets-boy YAOI comics AfterElton.com Yaoi is an umbrella term in the West for male/male manga or Japan-inspired comics. The actual name of the genre aimed toward women in Japan is called 'BL' or 'Boy's Love'. BL is aimed at the shōjo and josei demographics, but is considered a separate category. Yaoi is used in Japan to include dōjinshi and sex scenes, and does not include gei comi, which is by gay men and for gay men. Contrary to the belief of many English-speaking fans, "yaoi" is not the primary name of this genre in Japan. Originally much of the material was called "june", a name derived from a publication of the same name that published male/male tanbi romances, stories written for and about the worship of beauty using particularly flowery language. Eventually the term "june" died out in favor of "BL" which remains the most common name. "BL" or "Boy's Love" continues to be the most common name for female-oriented yaoi. Another term for yaoi is 801. "801" can be read as "yaoi" in the following form: the "short" reading (on'yomi) of the number 8 is "ya", 0 can be read as "o" - a western influence without doubt, while the on'yomi for 1 is "i" (see Japanese wordplay). For example, an Internet manga called Tonari no 801-chan, about an otaku guy who wants to date a fujoshi (yaoi fangirl), has been adapted into a serialised shōjo manga and a live-action film. 801-chan, the mascot of a Japanese shopping centre, is used in the manga. Yaoi and shōnen-ai are terms that are sometimes used by western fans to describe the contents of one title in the genre. Here yaoi is used to describe titles which contain sex scenes and other sexually explicit themes. The counterpart, shōnen-ai, is used to describe titles that focus more on romance and do not include explicit sexual content. This definition of yaoi sometimes clashes with the usage of the word to describe the genre as a whole and the subject is often a cause for debate. While shōnen-ai literally means "boy's love", the two terms are not synonymous. In Japan, shōnen-ai used to refer to a now obsolete shōjo subgenre that told stories of prepubescent boys in relationships ranging from the platonic to the romantic. The term was originally and is currently used to describe pedophilia. Boy's Love, on the other hand, is used as a genre's name and refers to all titles regardless of sexual content or the ages of characters in the story. Seme and uke The two participants in a yaoi relationship are often referred to as seme ("attacker",攻め or せめ) and uke ("receiver",受け). These terms originated in martial arts. Seme derives from the Japanese verb semeru (“to attack”) and uke from the Japanese verb ukeru (“to receive”). Though gay males are often referred to in English as "tops" or "bottoms," seme and uke are more nearly analogous to "pitcher" and "catcher." The seme and uke are often drawn in the bishōnen style and are "highly idealised",McLelland, Mark. "Male homosexuality and modern culture in modern Japan." Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context Issue 3, January 2000 blending both masculine and feminine qualities. While acceptable at one point in time, there is no longer a clear consensus among the LGBT community or consumers of said media whether these terms are still acceptable as they apply to all relationships, but are most commonly used to describe proscribed roles in homosexual relationships in anime and manga culture, thus limiting its use to fiction. The seme is often depicted as the stereotypical male of anime and manga culture: restrained, physically powerful, and/or protective. The seme generally has a stronger chin, shorter hair, smaller eyes, and a more stereotypically masculine demeanour than the uke. The seme usually pursues the uke. The uke usually has softer, androgynous, feminine features with bigger eyes and a smaller build, and is often physically weaker than the seme.Jones, V.E. "He Loves Him, She Loves Them: Japanese comics about gay men are increasingly popular among women". Boston.com. April 2005. He is usually less experienced with romance or sex and his interactions with the seme often make for his first homosexual experience. Anal sex is a prevalent theme in yaoi, as nearly all stories feature it in some way. The storyline where an uke is reluctant to have anal sex with a seme is considered to be similar to the reader's reluctance to have sex whilst still a virgin.Avila, K. "Boy's Love and Yaoi Revisited". Sequential Tart. January 2005. Another common trope is where the seme pursues the uke to the point of rape‏‎, as "an expression of love". Despite this, the seme is shown as being truly in love with the uke. One stereotype that is criticised is that the protagonists do not identify as gay, but rather are simply in love with that particular person. This is pointed to as avoiding having to address prejudices against people who consider themselves to have been born homosexual.Noh, Sueen. Reading YAOI Comics: An Analysis of Korean Girls' Fandom 2002 Newer yaoi stories have characters that identify as gay. There has also been criticism of the uke in particular - that he has stereotypically "girly" behaviour.Keller, Katherine Seme and Uke? Make Me Puke Sequential Tart February 2008 It has been questioned if yaoi is heteronormative, due to the masculine seme and feminine uke stereotypes.Linderström, Jenny Boys' Love: En studie av maskuliniteter och maktrelationer i yaoi manga It has been noted that yaoi stories are often told from the uke's perspective. Though these stereotypes are common, not all works adhere to them. For example, some of the anthologies published by Biblos feature stories on themes such as "younger seme" or "ribariba/reversables." The "height rule," the rule by which the taller character is the seme, is also sometimes broken. There is also the term "gekokujō" referring to when the character with more uke characteristics (be it physically or emotionally) actually plays the seme role in the sexual elements of the relationship. The term means "lower slays higher" and comes from feudal times when a servant would slay his lord in order to gain power. Doujinshi The doujinshi subculture has been considered the Japanese equivalent of the English-language slash fandom, especially as they both do not have typical "narrative structure" and Science fiction works are particularly popular in both. Typical yaoi doujinshi features male-male pairings from non-romantic, published manga and anime. Much of the material derives from male-oriented shōnen and seinen works which contained male-male close friendships and are perceived by fans to imply homosexual attraction, such as with Captain Tsubasa. However, yaoi fans may ship any male-male pairing, sometimes pairing off a favourite character, or creating a story about two men and fitting existing characters into the story. Though collectors often focus on doujinshi based on particular manga, any male character may become the subject of a yaoi doujinshi, even characters from non-manga titles such as Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean. Video games have also been parodied, including titles like Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy.Kingdom Hearts aestheticism.comHeavy Hero or Digital Dummy? Multimodal Player–Avatar Relations in Final Fantasy 7 Most doujinshi is created by amateurs who often work in "circles" ; for example, the group CLAMP began as an amateur doujinshi circle. However, some professional artists, such as Kodaka Kazuma and Maki Murakami, create doujinshi as well. The bulk of yaoi manga is doujinshi, and some publishing companies have used doujinshi published in the 1980s to spot talented amateurs, such as Biblos hiring Youka Nitta.O’Connell, M. "Embracing Yaoi Manga: Youka Nitta". Sequential Tart. April 2006. Important characteristics of the early yaoi doujinshi were that they were amateur publications not controlled by media restrictions, the stories were by teens for other teens, they were based on famous characters who were in their teens or early twenties, the same age as the yaoi fans. During the early 1990s, doujinshi played a part in popularising yaoi. American yaoi As Japanese yaoi gained popularity in the U.S., a few American artists began creating gay-themed original English-language manga referred to as "American yaoi." What started as a small subculture in North America, has, in the last three years, become a burgeoning market, as new publishers began producing male/male erotic comics and manga from creators outside Japan. Because creators from all parts of the globe are published in these original English language works, the term 'American yaoi' is not used; the term 'Global BL', is considered more acceptable. Current North American publishers of 'Global BL' are Yaoi Press, who currently have over twenty titles on the market, Iris Print, as well as licensors DramaQueen and Seven Seas Entertainment. DramaQueen debuted their 'Global BL' quarterly anthology RUSH in 2006. Publishing The earliest magazine about Boy's Love was June, which began in 1978. The Japanese publisher Biblos (from the mid 90s) was once the most commercially successful publisher of yaoi in Japan, but their bankruptcy due to failure of their parent companyMcLelland, Mark. Why are Japanese Girls’ Comics full of Boys Bonking? Refractory: A Journal of Entertainment Media Vol.10, 2006/2007 caused them to fold in April 2006,Biblos Bankrupt and provided an opportunity for competitors to take up a larger share of the professional yaoi and BL manga market. Japanese yaoi and BL works are sold to English-speaking countries by companies that translate and print them in English; companies such as Digital Manga Publishing with their imprints 801 Media (for explicit yaoi) and June (for "romantic and sweet" yaoi),Strickland, Elizabeth. "Drawn Together." The Village Voice. November 2 2006. as well as DramaQueen, Kitty Media, and Tokyopop under their imprint BLU. The earliest officially translated yaoi manga sold was in 2003, and as of 2006 there were about 130 English-translated yaoi titles commercially available. Japanese BL Magazines and their Imprints Aqua Comics – Asuka CL DX – B's Anima Seires – Bamboo Comics – Be X Boy Comics – Boys L – Chara Comics – Chocolat Comics – Dear + Comics - Deux Press – Diamond Comics – Daria Comics -Drap Comics – Enrous Comics – Gush Comics – Gust Comics – Hanaoto Comics – Hanamaru Comics - Hana to Yume Comics - Hit Comics – Ikisuchi Comics - June Comics – June Pierce Series – Kousai Comics – Marble Comics - Princess Comics - Margaret Comics – Misshi Comics – OAK Comix – Paper Moon Comics - Pixy Comics – Racish Comics – Sanwa Comics – SBK C (Shobukan Comics) – Scholar LC Rutile Series – Shuubeiru Comics – Shy Comics – SUPER BBC – Zero Comics - Shota Comics - Yaoi Hentai Comics Fandom demographics Most yaoi fans are either teenage girls or young women (figures of 80%,Keenapan, Nattha Japanese "boy-love" comics a hit among Thais Japan Today 2001 and 85% have been proposed).McLelland, Mark. The World of Yaoi: The Internet, Censorship and the Global “Boys’ Love” Fandom Australian Feminist Law Journal, 2005. It is usually assumed that all female fans are heterosexual, but there is also a presence of lesbian, bisexual or questioning female readers.Welker, James. Beautiful, Borrowed, and Bent: "Boys' Love" as Girls' Love in Shôjo Manga Signs: Journal of Women in Culture and Society 2006, vol. 31, no. 3 Although the genre is marketed at women and girls, gay, bisexual and straight menAnime North's bent offeringsAnime, mon amour: forget Pokemon—Japanese animation explodes with gay, lesbian, and trans themes - video also form part of the readership. That is not to say that majority of homosexual men are fans of the genre as some are put off by the feminine art style or unrealistic depictions of homosexual life and instead seek "Gei comi" (Gay comic), written by and for homosexual men,Lunsing, Wim. Yaoi Ronsō: Discussing Depictions of Male Homosexuality in Japanese Girls' Comics, Gay Comics and Gay Pornography Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context Issue 12, January 2006 as gei comi is perceived to be more realistic. Lunsing notes that some of the narrative annoyances that homosexual men express about yaoi manga are also present in gei comi. Some male mangaka have produced yaoi works, using their successes in yaoi to then go on to publish gei comi. As of 1994, fan translations of the series From Eroica with Love began to circulate through the North American slash fiction community, creating a "tenuous link" between slash and shonen-ai.Girls' Stuff, May (?) '94 Although the English-speaking online yaoi fandom is observed to increasingly overlap with online slash fandom,Youssef, Sandra Girls who like Boys who like Boys - Ethnography of Online Slash/Yaoi Fans Honours Thesis for Bachelor of Arts, Mount Holyoke College, 2004. yaoi fans tend to be younger than slash fans, and so are less squicked about depictions of underage sexuality. In the mid-1990s, estimates of the size of the Japanese yaoi fandom were at 100,000-500,000 people. As of 2003, on Japanese-language internet sites, there were roughly equal proportions of sites dedicated to yaoi as there were sites by and for gay men about homosexuality.Mobile Cultures: New Media in Queer Asia As of April 2005, a search for non-Japanese sites resulted in 785,000 English, 49,000 Spanish, 22,400 Korean, 11,900 Italian and 6,900 Chinese sites. In January 2007, there were five million hits for 'yaoi'.Roundtable: The Internet and Women’s Transnational “Boys’ Love” Fandom As of June 2008, 18 million. See also * Category:Yaoi—for specific yaoi titles. * Yuri—the female counterpoint of yaoi. * ...But, I'm Your Teacher References General references * Lunsing, Wim. Yaoi Ronsō: Discussing Depictions of Male Homosexuality in Japanese Girls' Comics, Gay Comics and Gay Pornography Intersections: Gender, History and Culture in the Asian Context Issue 12, January 2006 * McHarry, Mark. Yaoi: Redrawing Male Love The Guide November 2003 * McLelland, Mark. Why are Japanese Girls’ Comics full of Boys Bonking? Refractory: A Journal of Entertainment Media Vol.10, 2006/2007 Further reading * Berry, Chris, Fran Martin, and Audrey Yue (editors) (2003). Mobile Cultures: New Media in Queer Asia. Durham, North Carolina; London: Duke University Press. ISBN 0-8223-3087-3. * Butcher, Christopher (December 11, 2007). "Queer love manga style". Xtra!. * Cha, Kai-Ming (7 March, 2005) Yaoi Manga: What Girls Like? Publishers Weekly * Chavez, Ed (30 October, 2007) Yaoi-Con and BL, No Longer “Niche” Publishers Weekly * Fletcher, Dani (May 2002). Guys on Guys for Girls - Yaoi and Shounen Ai. Sequential Tart. * Fujimoto Yukari (2004). "Transgender: Female Hermaphrodites and Male Androgynes". [http://www.josai.jp/jicpas/usjwj/ U.S.-Japan Women’s Journal] 27: 76. * Johnston, M.J. (May 2002). "A Brief History of Yaoi". Sequential Tart. * Lees, Sharon (June 2006). "Yaoi and Boys Love". Akiba Angels. * Lees, Sharon (July 2006). "Be Beautiful: Yaoi Publishers Interviews Part 3". Akiba Angels. * McHarry, Mark. "Identity Unmoored: Yaoi in the West". In Thomas Peele, ed., Queer Popular Culture: Literature, Media, Film, and Television. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2007. ISBN 140397490X. * McLelland, Mark; Yoo, Seunghyun (March 2007). "The International Yaoi Boys' Love Fandom and the Regulation of Virtual Child Pornography: The Implications of Current Legislation". Sexuality Research and Social Policy: Journal of NSRC, Vol. 4, No. 1, pages 93–104. DOI:10.1525/srsp.2007.4.1.93. * Mizoguchi Akiko (2003). "Male-Male Romance by and for Women in Japan: A History and the Subgenres of Yaoi Fictions". U.S.-Japan Women’s Journal, 25: 49. * Nagaike Kazumi (2003). "Perverse Sexualities, Perverse Desires: Representations of Female Fantasies and Yaoi Manga as Pornography Directed at Women. U.S.-Japan Women’s Journal, 25: 76. * Suzuki, Kazuko. 1999. "Pornography or Therapy? Japanese Girls Creating the Yaoi Phenomenon". In Sherrie Inness, ed., Millennium Girls: Today's Girls Around the World. London: Rowman & Littlefield, pp. 243–267. ISBN 0847691365, ISBN 0847691373. * Valenti, Kristy L. (2005). "'Stop, My Butt Hurts!' - The Yaoi Invasion". The Comics Journal, issue 269. * Vincent, Keith (2007) "A Japanese Electra and Her Queer Progeny" Mechademia 2 * Category:Hentai Category:Anime and manga terminology Category:Japanese sex terms Category:Terms Category:Art ast:Yaoi ca:Yaoi de:Yaoi es:Yaoi eo:Jaoi fr:Yaoi ko:야오이 id:Yaoi it:Yaoi hu:Jaoi nl:Yaoi ja:やおい no:Yaoi pl:Yaoi pt:Yaoi ro:Yaoi ru:Яой sk:Jaoi fi:Yaoi sv:Yaoi th:ยะโอะอิ vi:Yaoi uk:Яой zh:Yaoi